School Supplies at Lyndhurst Health Department

Pictured are Annette Mazure and Gloria Cucco after filling backpacks with donated supplies.

LYNDHURST – With the new school year quickly approaching, the Lyndhurst Health Department has prepared a collection of back-to-school supplies for distribution to the children of Lyndhurst. If your child is in need of school supplies, please stop by the Health Department to pick up these free supplies. If you would like to donate new supplies or new backpacks, please drop them off at the Lyndhurst Health Department.

Butterfly Walk at the NJMC

LYNDHURST – Don’t forget the free Butterfly Walk at DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst on Sunday at 1 p.m. – co-sponsored by the N.J. Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society.
Get started learning how to identify the Butterflies of the Meadowlands and the plants that attract them. Optics for butterflies and how to start your own backyard butterfly garden will be discussed briefly, followed by a walk. Let’s hope the butterflies cooperate! (P.S. We shot the photo above at lunchtime on Monday July 10 at DeKorte Park.)
To help us with a head count, please rsvp to jim.wright@njmeadowlands.gov or the BCAS’ Don Torino, greatauk4@aol.com, if you have not done so already…

Click here for directions to DeKorte Park: http://www.njmeadowlands.gov/about/directions/To%20DeKorte%20Park.pdf

Other upcoming NJMC/BCAS partnership events include 90-minute nature walks in Harrier Meadow, in North Arlington, on Sunday, Aug. 2, and Tuesday Aug. 18, both at 1 p.m.
Follow the Meadowlands Nature Blog http://www.meadowblog.net/ for updates, news and interesting sightings.

And a heads-up: Renowned birding photographer Kevin Karlson will be at DeKorte Park on Aug. 22 for three free NJMC special presentations: a shorebird walk from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., a shorebird identification seminar from 11:15 a.m. to noon, and a slide show and talk from 2 to 3 p.m. We will firm up the exact times as the day approaches.

Play at Manor Park

KEARNY – The Kearny Recreation Department is proud to announce that the DeBaun Center for Performing Arts, a theater group out of the Steven’s Institute of Technology, will be performing their presentation of the Ben Johnson’s classic “BARTHOLOMEW FAIR, NJ”. This play is a comedy, set in New Jersey in 1985, that follows John & Win Littlewit as they visit the fair to see a performance of John’s all-puppet adaptation of Romeo & Juliet. Along the way they are joined by Win’s mother, (The Dame), and her two suitors (a pastor and a “teamster”), assorted booth owners, a rich motor-mouth and his mute fiancée, a stuttering errand boy, a rocking balladeer, a puppeteer named Chester, a detective in disguise (and his wife), and others—all performed by a cast of 5 hysterically talented actors.
Written in Rhyming couplets, the play pays homage to the five-act structure of Ben Jonson’s original, while taking delightful liberties and condensing the action to a frantic 80 minute (including an Induction and Epilogue.
Bring your lawn chair, or blanket, and join us for an evening of fun and excitement at the Manor Park located at the corner of West Bennett and Hamilton Avenues. Show time is scheduled for Tuesday July 14, with a rain date of Thursday July 16, with a 7 pm performance.

Newark Bears to Host Habitat for Humanity Week

NEWARK – Nothing is better than spending a summer day at the ballpark, except when spending a summer day at the ballpark benefits a good cause.
The Newark Bears have agreed to donate half of their ticket sales toward building an affordable home for a family in need during Habitat for Humanity Week, from July 13- 16. Tickets are only $10 for regular and box seats, so it’s an easy way to show your support for a good cause while getting a chance to check out the newly renovated Bears and Eagles Stadium in Newark.
Habitat for Humanity Newark has built homes for 68 low-income families in Newark and will dedicate a home as The Newark Bears House, once enough revenue from Newark Bears donations has been raised. The bigger the crowds at the stadium for Habitat for Humanity week, the sooner the house will become a reality.
The Bears will play four games during Habitat for Humanity Week. They will play the Lancaster Barnstormers on Monday July 13, at 7:05 p.m. The game has been designated as Construction Day to honor the hard working homebuilders who volunteer for Habitat Newark. People in the building trades are encouraged to come to the game in their company uniforms.
The Bears play cross state arch-rivals the Somerset Patriots on Tuesday, July 14, at 7:05 p.m. and Wednesday, July 15, at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday will be designated as Youth Group Day and members of youth groups are encouraged to come in uniform. Wednesday’s theme will be Youth Baseball and Softball League Day, when aspiring athletes are urged to wear their uniforms to the game.
Habitat for Humanity Week ends on Thursday, July 16, with a day game starting at 11:05 a.m. vs. the Somerset Patriots. It will be Camp Day and groups from local day camps are encouraged to attend by the busload.
Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium is located at 450 Broad Street in Newark. There will be ample adjacent parking available and the stadium is a short walk from NJ Transit trains and the Light Rail system. For tickets to these games please contact Ticketmaster or log on to http://www.newarkbears.com or call 1-888-85-BEARS.
The Bears feature a new all-star cast of coaches and players. Heading the list is former Yankee great Tim Raines as manager, former Yankee World Series hero Mike Torrez as pitching coach, New Jersey native Ron Karkovice as hitting coach and the legendary Tony Ferraro as bench coach.
The Bears have played in three league championship series, winning the 2002 and 2007 Atlantic League Championships. Famous Newark Bears Alumni include Yogi Berra, Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson. For more information, please visit http://www.newarkbears.com>.
Habitat for Humanity Newark is an ecumenical Christian organization that builds affordable homes throughout Essex County in partnership with hard working low-income families who put in over 400 hours of sweat equity. Thousands of volunteers participate in Habitat Newark builds each year. For more on Habitat Newark visit http://www.habitatnewark.org or contact Don Blaesser at 973-507-4058

North Arlington Summer Library program

The North Arlington Public Library is still closed for renovations. However, we are still running our summer reading club for the children in our community.
The Summer Reading Program schedule of the events we have planned for summer 2009 are as follows:
The following schedule of programs ends August 14.
Ages 2-3 years old: Singin' and Dancin'- Tuesdays at 10 a.m. in room 115 in the high
school
Stories and Sign Language - Thursdays at 10am in room 115 in the high school
Ages 4-10 years old: Creative Crafts- Monday through Friday at noon in front of the
North Arlington Youth Center.
Ages 10 and up: Shutterbugs- Wednesdays at 12:45 p.m.
YA bookclub - Thursdays at 1 p.m.
Crochet Days- Mon-Thurs.; the week of July 20-23 at 11 a.m.

Here are a list of Weekly Special Events held on Wednesdays at 1 p.m.:
July 15 - Lights, Camera, Mad Science!- Appropriate for children entering grades 2
and up. Located in room 115 at the high school.
July 22 - Montclair University Dance Demonstration- Appropriate for children
entering grades K-5. Located in the high school cafeteria.
July 29 - Relax with a Yoga Class- Appropriate for children entering grades 2 and
up. Located in the high school cafeteria.
Aug. 5 - High School Band Demonstration- Appropriate for children entering grades
K-5. Located in the high school cafeteria.
Monday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.: "BEE" Creative @ your library- A real-life beekeeper
will explain his hobby! Parents, come ready to buy some tasty homeade honey!!
Appropriate for children entering grades K-5. Located at the Senior Center.
Children of all ages are encouraged to participate in the reading portion of the
Summer Program. For every book up to 10 books, incentives will be rewarded. We
will conclude with a closing ceremony event on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. where
children who completed the reading portion of the Summer Reading Club will receive
special recognition.

Happy Indepedence Day

From the Observer staff! Be safe.

NJMC Launches Oral History Blog

LYNDHURST – The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) is bringing the rich and colorful history of this region to life through its newly launched Oral History Blog, www.meadowpast.net. The blog, featuring recollections of longtime Meadowlands residents, is part of the NJMC’s 40th Anniversary Celebration.

“The Oral History Blog is an informative, educational and entertaining way to remember the past and see how the Meadowlands has changed over the years,” said Joseph Doria, Chairman of the NJMC and Commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. “The blog is a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to learn or reminisce about what it used to be like here 30, 40 or even 60 years ago.”
The first batch of blog entries includes audio clips of lifelong Carlstadt resident Estelle Rochat Oehlmann. Estelle tells several fascinating stories from her childhood in the 1930s and 1940s, when she hunted bullfrogs with her father and every day was a new adventure. Secaucus resident and North Bergen native
Vince Petto relates humorous close calls and precarious predicaments from a boyhood spent hunting, fishing and swimming on the Hackensack River, and Moonachie native Don Torino tells how growing up in the Meadowlands led to a lifelong love of nature.
The blog also features audio clips of current and former NJMC employees explaining the Commission’s role in helping develop the area while protecting and cleaning up the environment over the past 40 years. Retired naturalist Don Smith discusses the NJMC’s pivotal role in restoring the Hackensack River, and former Director of Land-Use Management Ileana Kafrouni talks about development in the area and the challenges she faced as the NJMC’s first woman engineer. Look for more posts in the coming weeks.
“The stories on the Oral History Blog really give a sense of how special this area was and continues to be,” said NJMC Executive Director Robert Ceberio, who also grew up in the Meadowlands. “I encourage anyone who is interested in the Meadowlands or simply enjoys good stories to visit the blog.” See the new Blog at the following Web site: http://www.meadowpast.net/
Anyone who wants to be interviewed for the NJMC Oral History Blog, or who wishes to submit written material or photos, should contact Brian Aberback at 201-460-4619 or brian.aberback@njmeadowlands.gov. For more information on the Commission’s 40th Anniversary, including a list of special events, click on the Anniversary icon in the lower right hand corner of the NJMC Web site, http://www.njmeadowlands.gov